Being born with a normal-appearing face is something we often take for granted, but for some unfortunate children this is not the case. There are a great variety of craniofacial syndromes and birth defects that can occur ranging from cleft lip and palate to afflictions such as Crouzon’s, Pierre Robin, and Treacher Collins Syndrome. These disfiguring facial birth defects have great effect not only on a child’s appearance but on his or her function, psychological development, and well being.
Early corrective surgery can have a tremendous positive impact on these children. Dr. Geldzahler is experienced in treating the most severe craniofacial deformities and has operated on neonates, barely two weeks old, to correct their jaw positions so that they were able to breathe on their own and avoid tracheostomy. He has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on distraction osteogenesis, a technique to correct craniofacial anomalies.